La Frontera: The cultural impact of Mexican migration

La Frontera: The cultural impact of Mexican migration David Rochkind, David Taylor, Michael Hyatt, Antonio Perez, Juan Pacheco, Marcela Taboada, Andy Kropa, Yashoa Okon, Heriberto Quiroz October 8 December 22, 2010

Installation shot, Museum of Contemporary Photography, 2010

David Rochkind Central American migrants ride atop a freight train carrying cement through Chiapas and in to Oaxaca as they head north in an attempt to enter the US. Traveling by train has become more dangerous as kidnappings and robberies have risen in recent years with increased drug cartel activity. Nov 2009

David Rochkind Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua is at the center of Mexico s drug violence, with more than 3000 drug related murders over the past two years. President Calderon has sent thousands of soldiers to the city to try to stem the violence, though after a short decrease in murders the violence returned at full force. Here, soldiers search young men for drugs, weapons or signs of drug use in downtown Ciudad Juarez. Mar 2009

David Rochkind Police in Nogales, Sonora perform a security sweep in the poor neighborhoods of the city looking for drug dealers and drug users. When the US began to attack drug trafficking in the Carribbean in the late 1990s much of the trafficking shifted to Mexico, giving the cartels more product, more money and more power. This has allowed them to more forcefully confront the government over the past few years. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A young girl walks by a caravan of police vehicles during a security sweep looking for criminals and drug dealers in Nogales, Sonora. Law enforcement officers along the border say that increased border security has resulted in more drugs staying in Mexico, which has elevated crime and created a variety of social problems. It is common for police forces on the border to sweep through communities, searching anyone they deem suspicious. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A young girl drinks water on her mother s lap in Nogales, Sonora. She and her family had been sleeping outside since their tin and cardboard shack burned to the ground two weeks before. Even before the accident, the family had no water or electricity and their only source of income was selling scavenged trash. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A man who had just been returned to Mexico after trying to illegally enter the US stands just across the border at a Mexican customs and immigration office in Nogales, Sonora. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A view of the border that divides Nogales, Arizona at left and Nogales, Sonora at right. Tunnels used to transport drugs and people have routinely been found between homes on the border. So far there has been little violent spillover into the US, but recently US citizens have been killed with more frequency in Mexico. In March 2010, 2 US Consulate workers were gunned down in Ciudad Juarez. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Without strong social services in impoverished areas, like this neighborhood in Nogales, Sonora, many youth are drawn to the potential earning that working for a drug gang offers. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A prostitute undresses for a client in a short-term love motel in Nogales, Sonora, where she entertains both Mexican and American customers. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A man arrested for drug possession stands in his jail cell in a small prison high in the hills of Nogales, Sonora. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A girl stands on a street in downtown Nogales,Sonora surrounded by pigeons and paintings of Disney princesses. Many Mexicans dream of a better life, if not in Mexico, then across the border in the US. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Posters of migrants who went missing trying to illegally enter the US hang in an office that assists migrants in Nogales, Sonora. Migrating to the US is becoming more dangerous as common thieves take advantage of the emerging culture of impunity to rob and kidnap vulnerable migrants. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A recently deported migrant walks along the highway in the late afternoon in Nogales, Sonora. Most migrant have no money when they are deported and have to spend time in Nogales working in order to either go back home or make another attempt at crossing. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Men arrested by the police for drug use are prepared for processing at a small jail in Nogales, Sonora. Feb 2007

David Rochkind A Mexican travels through downtown Nogales, Sonora after the US Border Patrol caught him trying to illegally enter the country. Migrants are now faced not only with the physical obstacles present in crossing the border and the threat of being caught by the Border Patrol, but also by increasing robberies, kidnappings and murders. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Migrants wait for lights out at a shelter in Nogales, Sonora. Many migrants depend on free shelters for a safe place to sleep on their way to the US or after having been deported. They often have little or no money and need to save all of their resources for their impending trip. Criminals are increasingly pretending to be migrants in order to enter the shelters and identify potential kidnapping victims. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Police arrest a man for having heroin in his possession in Nogales, Sonora. Substance abuse and addiction to heroin and crystal meth have been rising in the border region. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Police patrol the poor, dangerous neighborhoods in the hills of Nogales, Sonora. Feb 2007

David Rochkind Men arrested by the police for drug use are prepared for processing at a small jail in Nogales, Sonora. Feb 2007

Installation shot, Museum of Contemporary Photography, 2010

David Taylor Smugglers, Sonora, 2009

David Taylor Fence Breach, NM, 2009

David Taylor Methamphetamine and Marijuana, AZ, 2007

David Taylor Awaiting Processing, AZ, 2007

David Taylor Camera Room, NM, 2007

David Taylor Backpack Scars, 2009

David Taylor The New River, 2009

David Taylor Pedestrian Fence Construction, NM, 2008

David Taylor Kilo Vehicle Interior, NM, 2007

David Taylor Fingerprinting, AZ, 2008

David Taylor U.S./Mexico border near El Paso/Jurarez, 2007

David Taylor Border Monument No. 210, 2009

Michael Hyatt Anne Frank in a Migrant Camp, 2004

Juan Pacheco Untitled, from the De Colores series, 2007

Installation shot, Museum of Contemporary Photography, 2010

Marcela Taboada Untitled from Women of Clay, 1999-2003

Antonio Perez Pro Immigration and Anti-HR 3347 Bill Rally of 100,000 People, March 10, 2006